Since the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, the United States Army has depended on the use of wooden boxes and crates to support its shipping, storage and logistic needs. Now, more than 230 years later, the U.S. Department of Defense still relies on the use of millions of wooden boxes and crates for supporting the same needs. Although wooden boxes and crates have provided useful service, they are generally expensive, heavy for the carry volume, and not environmentally friendly. Wooden boxes and crates are time consuming and labor intensive to assemble. They also do not offer a high degree of protection against the elements for the goods and cargo being stored or transported particularly against water/moisture and fluctuating temperature changes.
Such wooden boxes and crates including cleated plywood boxes are typically assembled by fastening wooden panels and lumber with nails, screws, strapping (poly or steel), and the like. The assembling process thus requires the use of additional materials/tools for fastening. The wooden box or crate may require disassembly to minimize space for subsequent re-use. The disassembly process is also time-consuming and labor intensive. The high cost and the time consuming nature of a carpenter built wooden box or crate further diminishes their ease of use and accessibility.
Corrugated cardboard materials are also used to make shipping containers. Such containers are relatively inexpensive, but are very easily damaged and have limited reusable capabilities. With cardboard boxes, if one of the sides is damaged, the structural integrity of the package is compromised. When the items to be packaged are heavy in weight or have a high density, the container must have a high bursting factor to support the stress (pounds per square inch) generated by this heavy weight. To obtain the proper high bursting factor, the container is reinforced either by double boxing, or by using boxes of double or triple wall thickness. This greatly reduces the carrying volume and significantly increases the weight of the box. Furthermore, cardboard boxes provide little or slight protection against the elements and must be kept dry to prevent disintegration.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a container exhibiting high strength, lightweight, and insulating properties for facilitating safe bulk storage and transport of goods and cargo. There is a further need for a container that is cost effective and simple to fabricate and implement. There is a need for a container designed with enhanced bursting strength, exceptional stacking strength, low thermal conductivity, pierce-resistance, wear/abrasion-resistance, acid/corrosion-resistance, and enhanced carrying volume to weight ratio, while remaining relatively compact and lightweight.